The storm lasted for as long as previously stated by Fluttershy.
Throughout the last two hours, Red had entertained Fluttershy and her animal friends with a vigorous energy as he read from the book.
Tales like the Skeletal Pasture, the Talking Tree, and the Dark Spectre, with others still waiting in the rather deceptively small book, proved that Red did have a passion for something, story telling.
His hooves became almost like wands that waved around, capturing the eyes of the animals and the pegasus while his words painted the scenery with an weird silver tongue.
Ofcourse, he was not the best at socializing, and that was what made it weird. Did he have to be good at social skills to be a good story teller exactly? No, he didn't, as this was evidence. Plus, he had some help from the storm.
The storm only added to the effect, the alicorn even getting a good lightning bolt to strike beyond the window behind him as he played the laugh of the Dark Spectre as he caught the doomed Hay Seed, a mare that was ripe for consumption by the unrestful spirit.
He might have played the part too well, however, since Fluttershy cried after that. It was an awkward moment for the both of them and the rest.
Nevertheless, as he finished the Dark Spectre, the storm began to lift. By then, Red was surprisingly eager, maybe it was the fact that finally he was not trapped inside of Fluttershy's cabin, keeping her company.
With a quick and fast goodbye to Fluttershy, Red had gone out the door, having gotten some black rain boots from Fluttershy, or rather just water-sealed rubber socks by the looks of them.
Quickly passing the numerous birdhouses and going down the small bridge that was over the stream, he trotted down the now muddied and puddle ridden gravel path that went down to where he thought was Ponyville, his boots quickly getting mud and dirt on them.
At one point, he reached a fork in the path. Now last night, he did not remember there being a different path deviating from the one that they used to get from Ponyville. He shrugged, taking a path to the left path that made a slight curve around a familiar grove.
Breathing in the fresh air and smelling the fresh scent of the air after rain made the alicorn feel rather euphoric. Unlike in Canterlot, the air was not as polluted by the industrial sector or thinned out by altitude.
The moment was only made better by the relative quietness of the area around him apart from the singing of the birds, the crunching of pebbles beneath his covered hooves, and the rubber socks squeaking.
As he walked down the path, he could finally see chimney smoke from behind a small hill that separated him from Ponyville. Convinced he was close, he decided to go faster, closing the distance between himself and the hill relatively quickly.
Expecting to see a village, the alicorn's head popped up from the hill only to see just apple orchards. Fenced in apple orchards almost as far as the eye can see, and the smoke was only from something at the complete other end of the orchard.
He blinked, shaking his head. He could not decide whether to be mad or pleasantly surprised. But over to his right, he could see Ponyville in the corner of his vision.
There was nothing to do but walk down the path, in hopes of going to Ponyville. So, the red alicorn bit the bolt, and made his way down the small hill, down into the orchards.
It was nothing but just a maze of apple trees, corridors and corners across all where the eye can see.
Everything looked the same, and things that looked different were so subtle that he would forget about them and walk around in a circle before realizing they were there.
Objects that looked like navigational aids, like red posts, had meanings, if they had any, that were so cryptic that they could not help him at all.
For what seemed like an hour was in reality thirty minutes to a constantly walking Red, who insisted to himself that walking was better than flying.
Ofcourse, he'd be more likely to find Ponyville in less the time it would take to walk through the trap that was the orchard, but carrying himself in the air was easier said than done. He was heavy and bulky for a pony, and he would've more quickly tired himself out.
Plus, he could miss the little things, maybe even somepony in the orchard that he would like to meet, because he would fly directly towards his destination doggedly. There is no fun in that, he reminded himself.
So, despite the temptation, he trotted forward, an apple making a snap off a branch and floating down near his mouth, his magic surrounding the fruit with a dim aura.
He bit into the red fruit, making a distinct crunching noise and a delightful giggle from behind his sealed lips. Just the right amount of sweetness to lift the spirits of a very lost soul.
"So, how do you like this 'Ponyville' so far? I bet that within five minutes of anypony meeting you, they'll be behind their windows in no time." Nightmare's voice echoed in Dusk's head as he continued to chew, a small frown developing.
"I'd rather think optimistically this one time. I'll have a chance with the help of Twilight and her friends. Don't you worry." A chuckle comes from the ethereal mare inside, and he could see her smiling.
"You were always so naive sometimes. I guess this is one of your days, my subject, but they will run away from you no matter what." The stallion sighs, an honest mental nod of submission was all that the mare could see. He stops for a second, taking off his boots as Nightmare Moon begins talking again.
"They just don't understand you nor I. They think we are bad ones, the monsters, but Celestia is the real monster, I know she is hellbent on erasing any opposition to her power, especially you... You know that, right?" Another mental nod from Red was the answer, but soon after, her eyebrows betrayed worry or concern, but her devious smile still remained. He finally throws his boots into what seems to be a small pocket dimension, perks of being taught by a highly skilled entity in magic.
"You do know that me making fun of you the last few weeks were in jest and that I...Uhmm.. still 'love' you as a subject, correct?"
"Yes, Your Excellency." he said monotonously, yet another chuckle coming from the night mare, he adored her and although it did not sound like it, she knew it. As she chuckled, Red took a corner left, and bit into the apple yet again.
"Now, lets talk business. Any new plans?" her smile evaporated, her mouth flat lining and her brows slightly furrowing.
"Not yet. We both should know that Celestia drinks alot of tea, and it should be easy to poison the tea itself or the teabag. The problem stems from efficiency and how fast it'll act." Nightmare Moon nodded as he explained to her in his head. He took another bite, already seeing the seeds within the fruit, inside of the core.
Instinctively, as to not get them in his mouth and have to deal with getting them out later, his magic ripped out the two he saw at the time and threw them over a fence.
"Too slow, Celestia will most likely know whats going on and may get medical treatment either immediately or after subduing me."
"You are strong and she is weak, you can simply break her neck with just your hoof's fetlock."
"Not exactly. She is a master of the arcane arts and she'll have me on the ground in no time if I try to go for a more aggressive approach as described, which I may not be adequately prepared for at the time." Nightmare Moon sneered, scoffing.
"I doubt it." she said, looking 'away'. Before then looking back at 'him'.
"What about contacting sympathizers within Canterlot or here to come with you to help? The 'Dark Quarter' you constantly visited ought to have many." Red Dusk stops, his head jerking. He put a hoof to his chin, tapping it. The Night Guard was almost entirely comprised of thestrals, and many thestrals were sympathetic to their cause, is it possible Velvet is one of them?
"That is a good idea, I must say. We can corner her that way and better dispose of her..." Nightmare Moon only grins, a smile appearing likewise on the alicorn's face. Just as he was about to say something to her, a squeaky wheel of a cart arouses his attention.
His head snaps to the sound, looking down a path way that diverted from his own.
"We shall continue brooding later, Dusk." she says, her un-amused mental image of a face fading away for Red as he grunted, seeing a large red stallion with a harness pulling a cart full of apples.
The blonde-maned pony, albeit with some distinct orange thrown in there, looked over at Red, his green eyes widening as he unhooks himself from the cart and walks to the side to face Red directly. He takes up a hoof and points at Red, who begins to walk towards him.
His jaw drops, twitching as he got closer, before finally stopping right before him and looking down on him.
The stallion audibly gulps down some spit. The alicorn blinks, two to three times, before opening his mouth to speak.
"Are you Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh?" the stallion nods, and Red Dusk could only smile.
They stood still looking at eachother for a minute and a half. Red took a chance to look at the cart Big Mac had formerly been pulling.
"Y-you ex-xist?"
"Mhm." Big Macintosh puts his hoof back down, still looking at Red with awe. One part of him was shocked by the fact that he stood before an alicorn, especially being a farm pony such as himself.
A second part of him was shocked that Red even existed, for to him, Red was nothing but a fairy tale made to scare little fillies and colts.
"Hm..." he hummed thoughtfully.
"Ah thought that when Applejack said that you were comin' here to Ponyville that she was nuts. Guess not." The stallion finally says softly with a shrug. This left Red Dusk slightly intrigued. The stallion was relatively calm around Red and did not seem too aggravated, which could be a sign that not as many ponies here will be as 'afraid' as those in Canterlot.
However, as he began to think about it more and more, the more it sounded foolish to him. Big Mac is most likely the exception, more so focused on work then on what he called 'fairy tales'. He might aswell make a good impression on the stallion, for he could be a rarity in Ponyville, or anywhere for that matter.
"I see. Well, you already know my name."
"Eeyup."
"Well that deals with part of my introduction. What are you doing right now, out of lack of a better question." Red Dusk squints at Macintosh, who just points with a hoof to the cart and down the road he came. Red raises an eyebrow.
"Ah've been haulin' the cart for Applejack while she picks 'em. Though she said she had to go to the 'mare's room', but she also said that if she doesn't come back over here within fifteen minutes, that Ah should go back to the house." Dusk squints at the stallion, Big Mac blinking, before realizing his confusion.
"Oh, she had to pee." Red immediately straightens back up, looking side to side.
"Hm."
"Eeyup."
"I have a feeling you say that to ponies all the time."
"Eeyup."
"Hm."
They both stay quiet for a minute, again, looking at eachother.
"Nice to see that I may have a stallion down here to talk to. To talk to mares all day would be murder." Big Mac's head jerks back.
"What do you mean? Ah would love to be you in your situation... and weren't you living up there with 'Nightmare Moon' all that time?"
"Well, she was different. Im talking about the fact that I cannot really predict exactly how the mares will act towards me down here. Regardless of me meeting them before the Gala, I do not believe that I have seen their true personalities and how they act." The farmer chuckles.
"Ah'll tell yah right off the bat that Applejack is oblivious to everything. Sometimes, she's so focused on working that she forgets about other problems and even when yah try to correct her, she'll think she's right and is as stubborn as a mule."
"Mm. Would you say that she's excessive at times?" a hoof comes up to make an inquisitive motion, the bottom of his hoof pointing to the sky.
"Eeyup."
"Hm."
The both of them stay silent, before wheeling around and looking up at the mountains to the south. There were still some clouds left over from the storm, but the sun was shining through some holes in the clouds.
"Beautiful day today apart from the storm, hm?"
"Eeyup."
"Hm."
As they stand there quietly, they talk about small stuff, mostly in regards to Red's questions about the farm. The sun's glare made the darkly colored alicorn hot and sweat, but he paid barely any mind to it, for he had made a friend.
A very good friend, it seemed. Quiet, yet he was attentive and hard working. Friendly, but not too attached. It was wonderful having the feeling of making a new friend, especially one that could bring some different things to the table then Shining Armor, not that he didn't like Shining Armor. He loved the unicorn, the guard captain being a good friend and also rather funny.
As they talked and talked, finally, Big Macintosh realized it had been twenty five minutes after Applejack had gone.
Quickly, Big Mac connected himself with the cart, turning it around while Red walked alongside him, following him all the way down the road, with slight laughter and eeyups following them under the sun on the path they walked.